@HiddenCash draws throngs of treasure hunters to Hermosa Beach

Hermosa BEACH >> After false starts in Long Beach and Marina del Rey, the Hidden Cash scavenger hunt landed in Hermosa Beach on Saturday, with throngs of treasure seekers drawn to this South Bay city by a trail of social media clues.

The anonymous donor known as @HiddenCash predicted Saturday would be “epic,” with dozens of drops in one area outdoors. He or she said it would launch “the biggest scavenger hunt in LA history, as THOUSANDS of $$$ are hidden along a small stretch of beach.” One more cash drop is to occur today, before the person leaves the Los Angeles area.

The donor had posted clues on Twitter that 36 red plastic Angry Birds would be hidden Saturday on a Los Angeles area beach. A reference to “mommy” sent a number of hunters to two Mother’s Beaches, one in Long Beach and the other in Marina del Rey. After a delay attributed to traffic, a Tweet started the hunting frenzy: “Hermosa Beach between the pier and the volleyball nets to your left (as you face ocean). Remember — there are 36! Go!”

Minutes after the 11:32 a.m. announcement by @HiddenCash, hundreds from across the region made their way up or down the coast to the South Bay city, with the two Mother’s Beaches quickly emptying of its treasure seekers.

Starry-eyed mobs ran down a main street business district toward the Hermosa Beach pier at full gallop, witnesses said.

Before long, volleyball games on the sand south of the pier were overrun. Hundreds of residents, many clothed head to foot, were kicking up sand looking for the red plastic Angry Birds that contained the cash.

Three Hermosa Beach officers were on duty to handle the crush of visitors, but three off-duty officers had to be called in to help, as well as assistance from the Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach police departments. An LAPD helicopter circled overhead.

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According to one Hermosa Beach policeman who asked not to be identified because he didn’t have the authority to speak to the media, the players at the seven volleyball courts just south of the pier were angry with the treasure hunters who overran their courts.

The policeman noted that all of the paid parking lots in town were already full before the Twitter announcement was made, but somehow people managed to find a place to stash their cars.

“Minus a few missing kids that got reunited with their parents, there were no mishaps. Nothing bad happened,” the Hermosa Beach policeman said.

Standing in the hazy sunshine, with the backdrop of waves and an oil tanker offshore, several beaming residents were giving interviews to a flock of TV, radio and other reporters who had streamed in across the region.

Remi Besnoin, 21, of Hermosa Beach was still in his wet suit. He had found an Angry Bird in the sand just after surfing. It contained $80. He said he had been in the water when he saw a helicopter and a mob flood onto the beach, and he thought there had been a shark. When he came to shore, he stepped on the red plastic bird. “I stepped on it and didn’t know what going on. I got some mullah. A weekend teaser. Eighty bucks. Whoever did this, he’s really promoting himself. It’s wild.”

Of the money, he said, “I’m going to add it to my little piggybank.”

Jackie Hatten, co-owner of the Tiki Mon Creamery & Cafe, walked out on the beach after her two employees found Angry Birds and found one herself. Together they totaled $340, including one bird stuffed with $180 in cash. The money, she said, will go to charity.

“We’re blessed,” said Hatten, proprietor of her cafe for 13 years at the end of the Hermosa Beach Pier. “We believe in paying it forward, good karma. It’s reciprocated, and you give what you get.”

Hatten said many of those who had found the money were locals. “It’s our beach.”

A few winners posted photos of themselves using the money they found to feed the homeless.

The anonymous benefactor who has described himself or herself as a strike-it-rich real estate developer between 35 and 45 wanting to give back to the community began hiding envelopes stuffed with cash last week in San Francisco, before moving on to San Jose.

He or she has called such giveaways “a social experiment for good,” and has drawn more than 350,000 followers on Twitter and inspired copycats in New Orleans, Dallas and Washington, D.C.

@HiddenCash popped up Thursday in Los Angeles, causing a stampede in Burbank after leaving clues for three envelopes of hidden cash at the Empire Center.

On Friday, the clandestine moneybags left nearly $500 in Pasadena and San Marino before leaving hundreds of dollars in Echo Park.

Residents have chased his or her leavings in droves, causing law enforcement agencies to issue warnings about caution. They’ve also posted often smiling selfies clutching handfuls of cash.

“Time to show East L.A. some love,” @HiddenCash said on the social media site Thursday evening, before leaving three envelopes stuffed with up to $200 cash at Salazar Park.

He also appears to have received some back. “I’ve eaten at some of the finest restaurants,” he or she Tweeted, “but nothing better than Mexican street food (minus the cactus). #EastLA.”

On Saturday, nearly two hours after some of the initial birds had been found, scores of residents still combed the sand looking for money.

Among them was Jose Hernandez, 27, of Redondo Beach, who was in the area when the Twitter announcement went out. He crawled on the hot sand under a volleyball net making furrows looking for a stash. “No way I’m going to dig to China. I’m about to leave,” he said after a 20-minute search on his hands and knees.

Robert Marshall of Los Angeles was another hapless hunter. He raced to Hermosa Beach with his two sons and came away empty.

“It’s been good exercise,” said Marshall, 37. “Been here, done that, no cash. Now I’ve got to race back to the parking meter.”